ArticlePloS one2011
Virulence evolution of the human pathogen Neisseria meningitidis by recombination in the core and accessory genome.
Article in PloS one, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers.
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50 citing papers in PubMed, 77 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Genomic surveillance of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W in Portugal from 2003 to 2019.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2022Article
- A Comprehensive Review on the Interplay betweenCells · 2021Review
- Modelling evolutionary pathways for commensalism and hypervirulence inMicrobial genomics · 2021Article
- The effect of recombination on the evolution of a population ofGenome research · 2021Article
- Complete genome and methylome analysis of Neisseria meningitidis associated with increased serogroup Y disease.Scientific reports · 2020Article
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- The CRISPR/Cas system in Neisseria meningitidis affects bacterial adhesion to human nasopharyngeal epithelial cells.RNA biology · 2019Article
- Application of filamentous phages in environment: A tectonic shift in the science and practice of ecorestoration.Ecology and evolution · 2019Article
- Whole Genome Sequencing for Surveillance of Diphtheria in Low Incidence Settings.Frontiers in public health · 2019Review
- The comparative population genetics ofPeerJ · 2019Article
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- Phase-Variable Genotypes Sweetened by Glycosylation Phenotypes.Journal of bacteriology · 2018Article
- Anticoagulants impact on innate immune responses and bacterial survival in whole blood models of Neisseria meningitidis infection.Scientific reports · 2018Article
- Acquisition of virulence genes by a carrier strain gave rise to the ongoing epidemics of meningococcal disease in West Africa.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2018Article
- Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B carriage by adolescents and young adults living in Milan, Italy: Prevalence of strains potentially covered by the presently available meningococcal B vaccines.Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · 2018Article
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNeisseria meningitidis is a naturally transformable, facultative pathogen colonizing the human nasopharynx. Here, we analyze on a genome-wide level the impact of recombination on gene-complement diversity and virulence evolution in N. meningitidis. We combined comparative genome hybridization using microarrays (mCGH) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of 29 meningococcal isolates with computational comparison of a subset of seven meningococcal genome sequences. PRINCIPAL
findingsWe found that lateral gene transfer of minimal mobile elements as well as prophages are major forces shaping meningococcal population structure. Extensive gene content comparison revealed novel associations of virulence with genetic elements besides the recently discovered meningococcal disease associated (MDA) island. In particular, we identified an association of virulence with a recently described canonical genomic island termed IHT-E and a differential distribution of genes encoding RTX toxin- and two-partner secretion systems among hyperinvasive and non-hyperinvasive lineages. By computationally screening also the core genome for signs of recombination, we provided evidence that about 40% of the meningococcal core genes are affected by recombination primarily within metabolic genes as well as genes involved in DNA replication and repair. By comparison with the results of previous mCGH studies, our data indicated that genetic structuring as revealed by mCGH is stable over time and highly similar for isolates from different geographic origins.
conclusionsRecombination comprising lateral transfer of entire genes as well as homologous intragenic recombination has a profound impact on meningococcal population structure and genome composition. Our data support the hypothesis that meningococcal virulence is polygenic in nature and that differences in metabolism might contribute to virulence.
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